"I can't believe I'm seeing you here!" Heard was bouncing around like an excited bunny after getting the autograph. "Did Lionsgate invite you to create the movie's theme song?"
"No, I'm actually preparing to shoot a movie recently."
"Is it Straight Outta Compton? I saw rumors about it on Twitter." As a die-hard fan of Street Jesus, Heard kept track of all of Leon's moves.
She also knew Leon was savvy with investments. Not only did he own his own record label, but his tentacles also extended into media, clothing, and other businesses.
However, the media's attitude toward Leon had always been hostile. His investment projects were widely panned by the press, considered destined to fail.
"Yeah, since I was a kid, I've had this idea of shooting a movie to speak up for the Black community at the bottom..." Leon spread his hands, answering casually.
"So you mean the movie hasn't officially started filming yet? Do you think there's a chance for me to play a role in your movie?" As she spoke, Heard started posing provocatively.
Although she tried her best to puff out her chest to show off her figure, unfortunately, her assets weren't particularly outstanding.
God is fair. He had already given Heard an angelic face, so he wouldn't grant her a devilish body like Angelina Jolie's.
Leon felt absolutely nothing inside—he even wanted to laugh a little.
He had seen too many "big" scenes in his life.
"I'd love to work with a beautiful lady like you too, but unfortunately, ours is a purely Black movie..." Leon pointed to Kendrick behind him. "We have four more nggas just like him in our movie..."
Hearing this, Heard's expression changed drastically. The favorite theme of Brazzers Studio flashed through her mind—one white girl vs. five Black guys.
To prevent the situation from staying awkward, the two exchanged contact information. Afterward, Leon rushed to Los Angeles Music Radio as quickly as possible for an exclusive interview.
He had received the invitation from the radio station a few days ago, and since he happened to be flying to Los Angeles, he accepted it on the way.
The Demons album was selling very well on the West Coast, but the higher-ups at Roc Nation believed it could go even further.
As the city with the largest consumption of music products in the US, Los Angeles was a market any singer had to grasp.
Before entering the studio, Leon was well-prepared for the spicy questions he might encounter.
Ever since his debut album exploded, controversial topics surrounding him had started heating up again.
This time, the wave of public opinion came even more fiercely, making one suspect if there was an invisible hand pushing things behind the scenes.
"Mr. Leon, first of all, congratulations on the big sales of your album Demons. This exceeded everyone's expectations. You know, the heat of rock music in the current market isn't what it used to be."
At the start, the host's attitude seemed normal enough, and Leon didn't intend to be confrontational.
"Yes, the history of rock music is almost equivalent to the history of pop music. To achieve what I have now, I must pay tribute to those great predecessors. It was their works that nurtured me," Leon replied.
Just as the polite remarks ended, the host's next question became sharp. "Some critics say your work is a clumsy imitation of Guns N' Roses. What do you think about that?"
As soon as this question came out, Leon's expression changed.
Although the host looked friendly, the question was like a knife.
Compared to scandals like promiscuity, violence, or cheating, accusations of plagiarism and imitation could be more damaging to a singer.
"Listen, I appreciate Axl Rose very much, but I haven't imitated anyone. Where did you get the idea that I'm imitating him?"
"Your state during performances, the style of your works, and even your persona—everyone can see traces of Rose." The host revealed a sinister smile.
Since it was put so bluntly, obviously not leaving Leon any way out, he stopped pretending too.
"These things you mentioned aren't Rose's characteristics, nor are they mine. They are characteristics of rock music. For example..."
"Suppose you have a neighbor named Mike. He's Black like you, and often visits your house..."
"One day your wife gets pregnant, and the child looks like you and also looks like Mike. Can I then insist that the child is Mike's?"
Leon's simple little story instantly left the host speechless.
However, the other party obviously came with a mission; the following questions became sharper one after another.
"Some people commented that your debut work Take Me to Church is a song written for the rainbow community. What's your take on this?"
"Some conservative music fans in the South claim the lyrics in it are blasphemy against God."
This question did stump Leon at first.
Indeed, there were many white leftists among his fans. While he didn't like these people at all, he liked their money.
Falling into the pit dug by the host might cause financial loss for himself.
"I love my fans. As for how the work is interpreted, every listener has their own thoughts."
He planned to gloss over this question quickly.
Left or right, he didn't care at all.
Whoever pays for the album is family, is a good homie.
However, these words obviously couldn't be said on the show.
The forty-minute interview time was half gone quickly. The host was a bit anxious and had to drop the big bomb ahead of time. "The next question is what fans are most concerned about recently... Do you and Miss Kardashian have a secret relationship?"
"Shxt!" The host's question was also something giving Leon a headache recently.
Kim Kardashian exploded in popularity thanks to a "celebrity sex tape," considered the pioneer of playing with black traffic (controversy/scandal).
Later, she took her fame to a new level with the dramatic reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
The whole family, from sisters to mom, went into battle together, completely exposing family privacy to the public eye, with new tricks every day.
This woman could sell anything for fame and traffic!
In the latest episode of this reality show, Kardashian hinted multiple times in front of the camera that she had verified Leon was "well-endowed," and the nickname "White Ngga" wasn't groundless.
Because of this, Robbie had given him plenty of trouble.
Kardashian's fiancé, basketball player Humphries, also posted on social media wanting to talk to him face to face.
Leon quickly distanced himself. "I can tell you clearly, I'm not interested in fake butts! That woman has no original parts from head to toe. You can't expect her to be as honest as me."
A master of playing with black traffic getting played for traffic by a woman—this made him a bit depressed.
Leon felt that if Kardashian continued running her mouth, he really needed to have a chat with this woman.
To shut her damn big mouth!
Since she earned all the traffic, maybe he really should inject some "positive energy" into her as a return fee.
Towards the end of the interview, the host finally asked some quality questions, actively bringing up Straight Outta Compton.
"As a white person, why did you think of shooting a Black movie?"
"God, I simply love Black people to death. They are God's chosen creations, a group of lovely guys... Look at my friends around me, my bodyguards—they are all Black." Leon spouted nonsense freely.
Whether they were God's chosen or not he didn't know, but Southern slave owners certainly praised them endlessly.
"I heard this is a movie about gangs, about N.W.A... Many people feel your street persona is fake, that you can't possibly shoot this movie well. What do you think about this?"
The implication in the host's words was attacking Leon for being a fake tough guy.
Whatever Brownsville street godfather, record store incident, El Leon...
These were all fake; anyway, no photos were leaked.
To this, Leon answered: "No one is more qualified to shoot this movie than me... Look at the colorful tattoos on your body. You must think you're very cool and street, right?"
"But have you been to Compton? Trust me man, even the dogs there are more gangsta than you."
"All Black people in Compton know my name. Do you know 'Saint' Robinson?"
"That's my good homie."
The host instantly trembled. As a Black man, of course, he knew the big name of Saint.
And Leon's confident and calm look didn't seem like boasting. Mentioning this name randomly carried the risk of eating bullets.
In panic, the host's eyes became noticeably clearer. In the remaining few minutes of the interview, the questions became obviously milder.
After the live broadcast ended, Leon hurriedly left Los Angeles Music Radio.
"Shxt, I always feel something isn't quite right." Back in the business van, Leon lit a cigarette, repeatedly thinking about why the host's attitude towards him was so mean.
The atmosphere in the studio just now was swords drawn and bows bent; it was tense to the point where both sides were about to fight.
Without a conflict of interest, a talk show shouldn't develop like this.
Bonnie opened her laptop, frowning as she said, "There have been a lot of soft articles smearing you recently, and they are written very professionally. It feels like a group of professional paid trolls."
"Not only social media, but unfavorable reports about you also frequently appear in magazines and newspapers."
"Los Angeles Music Radio isn't an isolated case. Many radio DJs speak sarcastically when mentioning you in their programs."
Leon narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Obviously, this was organized smearing.
And the opponent's offensive, whether in intensity or professionalism, far exceeded Kanye and Chris Brown.
Chris Brown had already been scared out of his wits in the record store incident.
Even if Leon connected with his ex-girlfriend Rihanna right in front of him, that ngga probably wouldn't dare to lose his temper.
He might even applaud on the side.
"Could it be Kanye? Did he change his troll team?"
Leon quickly denied this guess. To achieve such a smearing effect, just throwing money wouldn't work.
The opponent could directly buy off major music radio DJs and TV programs; this required very powerful connections and resources.
"Could it be P. Diddy or Jay-Z?" Bonnie reminded him.
Now there were only these two possibilities.
Only these two East Coast rap godfathers had such powerful resources.
But the contradictory point of this guess lay in the fact that Leon was still making money for Roc Nation.
He was even the best-selling one among the rookies of the same period and was now nominated for a Grammy Award.
Leon had never explicitly stated he wouldn't renew his contract, so it seemed pointless for Jay-Z to do this.
"Fxxk... there must be a conspiracy behind this."
Since he couldn't figure it out, there was no need to dwell on it. He signaled the driver to drive to Beverly Hills, taking this opportunity to dump his stress on Robbie.
Leon opened the door to Robbie's apartment with the spare key and bumped into Robbie as soon as he opened the door.
At this moment, she was wearing a dry hair cap on her head, wrapped only in a bath towel, steam still rising from her body.
Looked like she just finished a shower.
"Honey..."
This time Leon didn't give Robbie a chance to reverse the situation, tackling her directly onto the carpet to complete a double-shoulder pin.
"Wait a minute Honey, not now!"
Leon took this as Robbie playing hard to get. This girl had never refused his connection invitation.
"Really not now..."
"Wait!"
"My mom is here!"
As soon as the words fell, Leon finally stopped his movements.
"You're not kidding me, right?"
"Of course not... I brought mom over from Australia. Next month she'll watch me receive the Grammy Award live!"
Leon hurriedly got up, but it was too late.
He turned around just in time to see a blonde mature woman staring at him and Robbie.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, figure a bit plump.
She leaned against the wall, smoking a cigarette amidst puffs of smoke. "You must be Leon? The kid who made my daughter dizzy with love?"
"Hello, Mrs. Robbie." Leon was used to "big" scenes, but had never encountered such an awkward situation. "I'm very sorry, I didn't know you were here..."
Leon wanted to explain but was interrupted by Robbie's mother: "It's okay, I understand. Look at you guys, only in your early 20s."
"You guys can continue. I'm going out for a walk. Heard there are many handsome guys in Los Angeles~"
"While Robbie's father isn't here, I have to appreciate them properly."
"By the way, remember to use protection. I don't want to be a grandma so early."
After speaking, Robbie's mom stepped on high heels and walked elegantly past the two, pushing the door to leave.
After a brief moment of dumbfoundedness, the two looked at each other and smiled, restarting the unfinished war.
Post-battle, Leon didn't have a shred of strength left in his body.
Sitting on the sofa playing with Robbie's feet, he said casually, "I just wrote a song recently."
"Really? Is it written for me?" Robbie instantly screamed with excitement.
"If the audition effect is good, you are the only choice."
Ever since becoming popular with Faded, Robbie hadn't had another work, not even a release plan for one.
Under the urging of her agent Maggie, her pressure was much greater than when she was an actor.
After a brief moment of excitement, her expression immediately became downcast again. "I have something to tell you."
"What is it?" Leon immediately had a bad premonition.
Robbie was an optimistic girl; rarely did anything truly trouble her.
"Warner Music has been contacting my agent recently..." Robbie sighed.
"Warner Music? You mean a guy named Leonard?"
"Yes, you know him?!" Robbie's eyes instantly lit up. "Oh my god, I'm really going crazy recently~ Leonard and my agent promised to give me a top-tier production team, top-tier promotional resources, and even top songwriters to write songs specifically for me..."
"So, you weren't tempted, were you?"
"Of course not!" Robbie immediately retorted fiercely. "But you know my agent is very pushy. I signed with Maggie when I just arrived in Los Angeles from a small town in Queensland... She has been forcing me to contact Warner Music."
"Honey, you must believe me. No matter what happens, I won't leave Apocalypse Music."
"I mean no matter what happens!"
Leon teased, "Have you heard the rumor about the end of the world in 2012? You won't leave even then?"
Robbie nodded with a serious face. "Then let's just be destroyed together!"
Leon replayed the series of recent events in his mind. Mentioning Warner Music and Leonard, it seemed everything had an answer.
First himself, then Ariana, and now it was Robbie's turn...
Obviously, Warner Music wanted to swallow Apocalypse Music whole.
As an aircraft carrier giant in the record industry, they were simply too familiar with doing this kind of thing.
Warner's strategy was: first make Leon and the Apocalypse label notorious and riddled with scandals, then defeat and recruit its artists one by one.
Let this strongly rising new label completely become a vassal of Warner, or disappear forever.